Billy Collins was born in New York City in 1941, he has written many book in poetry. His writing has been in diffrent things like, newspapers books, textbooks,etc. His work has been nominated for the annual Best American Poetry series. In 2001 Billy Collins was named as U.S. Poet Laureate. Other awards included fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. In 1992, he was picked by, New York Public Library to serve as "Literary Lion". He has also held [[#|classes]]at poetry workshops in Ireland at [[#|University College]]Galway. Today he still lives in New York. Embrace
You know the parlor trick.
wrap your arms around your own body
and from the back it looks like
someone is embracing you
her hands grasping your shirt
her fingernails teasing your neck
from the front it is another story
you never looked so alone
your crossed elbows and screwy grin
you could be waiting for a tailor
to fit you with a straight jacket
one that would hold you really tight Another Reason Why I Don't Keep A Gun In The House The neighbors' dog will not stop barking. He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark that he barks every time they leave the house. They must switch him on on their way out.
The neibors dog will not stop barking. I close all the [[#|windows]]in the house and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast but I can still hear him muffled under the music, barking, barking, barking,
and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra, his head raised confidently as if Beethoven had included a part for [[#|barking dog]].
When the record finally ends he is still barking, sitting there in the oboe section barking, his eyes fixed on the conductor who is entreating him with his baton
while the other musicians listen in respectful silence to the famous [[#|barking dog]]solo, that endless coda that first established Beethoven as an innovative genius
Candle Hat In most self-portraits it is the face that dominates: Cezanne is a pair of eyes swimming in brushstrokes, Van Gogh stares out of a halo of swirling darkness, Rembrant looks relieved as if he were taking a breather from painting The Blinding of Sampson.
But in this one Goya stands well back from the mirror and is seen posed in the clutter of his studio addressing a canvas tilted back on a tall easel.
He appears to be smiling out at us as if he knew we would be amused by the extraordinary hat on his head which is fitted around the brim with candle holders, a device that allowed him [[#|to work]]into the night.
You can only wonder what it would be like to be wearing such a chandelier on your head as if you were a walking dining room or [[#|concert]]hall.
But once you see this hat there is no need to read any biogarphy of Goya or to memorize his dates.
To understand Goya you only have to imagine him lighting the candles one by one, then placing the hat on his head, ready for a night of work.
Imagine him surprising his wife with his [[#|new invention]], the laughing like a birthday cake when she saw the glow.
Imagine him flickering through the rooms of his house with all the shadows flying across the walls.
Imagine a lost traveler knocking on his door one dark night in the hill country of Spain. "Come in, " he would say, "I was just painting myself," as he stood in the doorway holding up the wand of a brush, illuminated in the blaze of his famous candle hat.
Billy Collins
Billy Collins was born in New York City in 1941, he has written many book in poetry. His writing has been in diffrent things like, newspapers books, textbooks,etc. His work has been nominated for the annual Best American Poetry series. In 2001 Billy Collins was named as U.S. Poet Laureate. Other awards included fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. In 1992, he was picked by, New York Public Library to serve as "Literary Lion". He has also held [[#|classes]]at poetry workshops in Ireland at [[#|University College]]Galway. Today he still lives in New York.
Embrace
You know the parlor trick.
wrap your arms around your own body
and from the back it looks like
someone is embracing you
her hands grasping your shirt
her fingernails teasing your neck
from the front it is another story
you never looked so alone
your crossed elbows and screwy grin
you could be waiting for a tailor
to fit you with a straight jacket
one that would hold you really tight
Another Reason Why I Don't Keep A Gun In The House
The neighbors' dog will not stop barking.
He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark
that he barks every time they leave the house.
They must switch him on on their way out.
The neibors dog will not stop barking.
I close all the [[#|windows]]in the house
and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast
but I can still hear him muffled under the music,
barking, barking, barking,
and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra,
his head raised confidently as if Beethoven
had included a part for [[#|barking dog]].
When the record finally ends he is still barking,
sitting there in the oboe section barking,
his eyes fixed on the conductor who is
entreating him with his baton
while the other musicians listen in respectful
silence to the famous [[#|barking dog]]solo,
that endless coda that first established
Beethoven as an innovative genius
Candle Hat
In most self-portraits it is the face that dominates:
Cezanne is a pair of eyes swimming in brushstrokes,
Van Gogh stares out of a halo of swirling darkness,
Rembrant looks relieved as if he were taking a breather
from painting The Blinding of Sampson.
But in this one Goya stands well back from the mirror
and is seen posed in the clutter of his studio
addressing a canvas tilted back on a tall easel.
He appears to be smiling out at us as if he knew
we would be amused by the extraordinary hat on his head
which is fitted around the brim with candle holders,
a device that allowed him [[#|to work]]into the night.
You can only wonder what it would be like
to be wearing such a chandelier on your head
as if you were a walking dining room or [[#|concert]]hall.
But once you see this hat there is no need to read
any biogarphy of Goya or to memorize his dates.
To understand Goya you only have to imagine him
lighting the candles one by one, then placing
the hat on his head, ready for a night of work.
Imagine him surprising his wife with his [[#|new invention]],
the laughing like a birthday cake when she saw the glow.
Imagine him flickering through the rooms of his house
with all the shadows flying across the walls.
Imagine a lost traveler knocking on his door
one dark night in the hill country of Spain.
"Come in, " he would say, "I was just painting myself,"
as he stood in the doorway holding up the wand of a brush,
illuminated in the blaze of his famous candle hat.